Williams vs. UCLA

Colleges and Universities A-Z Williams College
1

<p>After all the admissions (and rejections) letters have arrived, I've taken several weeks to consider my choices. I was accepted into UC Berkeley, UCLA, USC and Williams.</p>

<p>I've narrowed my choices down to Williams and UCLA, and I'm seeking some outside input to help me out...</p>

<p>BTW, I am interested in applying for a business school (MBA) later on, if my interest remains with me throughout my undergrad experience. I plan to be an econ major.</p>

<p>UCLA
- surrounding area is very appealing (LA, Westwood, Beverly Hills)
- lots of internship opportunities due to nearby LA
- I was offered Regents here, which gives me a four-year parking permit, four-year guaranteed on-campus housing, four-year academic mentor, priority enrollment, $5500/year, RSS (opportunity to network with nobel laureate professors, important alumni, etc.)</p>

<p>Williams
- liberal arts curriculum
- best professor-student relationship
- east coast! I grew up in southern california, so nice change of scenery</p>

<p>I'm really torn between the two. The only thing I'm worried about Williams is that the location will not suit me because ideally, I prefer an urban surrounding. On the other hand, Williams offers undoubtedly one of the best undergrad educational experiences in the country.</p>

<p>Most importantly though, I am not trying to be concerned with prestige. What matters most to me is how happy I will be in college... which unfortunately, no one can tell. Some input would be helpful though!</p>

2

<p>this is a pretty unusual choice to be facing, given how vastly different the two schools are in almost every way. </p>

<p>I'd say academically, it's a no brainer for Williams ... obviously much smaller classes, intimate relationships with profs, stronger student body overall, better reputation among grad schools, you won't just be a number, profs more interested in teaching undergrads vs. profs more interested in research / grad students, etc. etc. Just by virtue of going to Williams, you will essentially receive the same benefits you'd receive as a regents scholar (except for financial ones): four years guaranteed housing, three years guaranteed parking, enrollment in, in most cases, whatever classes you choose, abundant academic support and networking opportunities, etc. </p>

<p>Now, that is not to say you don't have good reasons for preferring UCLA -- if you love L.A. and hate Williamstown's rural vibe, the difference in tution rates (although if you are eligible for fin aid, Williams might end up offering a similar deal) is stark, if you definitely prefer a big university setting, with lots of beautiful people and big time athletics, where you would be fairly anonymous, over a small, insular liberal arts college which features a smaller, tighter community vibe, then go with UCLA. As long as you are proactive about your education and future, you should still have great opportunities coming out of a place like that, and it's not worth sacrificing happiness just for more prestige or smaller class size. </p>

<p>In sum, go where you'll be happiest -- but if that is a close call, a Williams degree provides definite advantages both from an educational and a post-graduate opportunity perspective.</p>

3

<p>Agree.</p>

<p>Can you visit and get a feel for it?</p>

<p>I wouldn't advise anyone to go to a school thinking they might want to transfer, but it does seem to me that it shouldn't be terribly difficult for you to transfer from Williams to Cal if Williams turns out not to be your cup of tea. It would be near to impossible to go the other way.</p>

4

<p>Hi Mary Jane. Before deciding you may want to check this article from the Wall Street Journal regarding the relative ease of getting into grad school from various colleges. <a href="http://www.wsjclassroomedition.com/college/feederschools.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.wsjclassroomedition.com/college/feederschools.htm&lt;/a>
If you want to attend grad school, Williams is far and away the better choice.</p>

5

<p>My two cents: I know nothing about Williams except that it's hard to get in. I'm from Southern California, though, and I went to UCLA. My real education started when I left California (junior year abroad), and I got much more out of UCLA after I came back. Seems to me that it's valuable for ANYONE to leave the place they grew up and try something different, but more important for Californians than for anyone else.</p>

6

<p>
[quote]
it shouldn't be terribly difficult for you to transfer from Williams to Cal if Williams turns out not to be your cup of tea

[/quote]
</p>

<p>UCLA didnt accept people from the university of pennsylvania</p>

<p><a href="http://www.admissions.ucla.edu/prospect/Adm_tr/Tr_Prof06_US4.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.admissions.ucla.edu/prospect/Adm_tr/Tr_Prof06_US4.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>UCLA also didnt accept applicants from Wellesly</p>

<p><a href="http://www.admissions.ucla.edu/prospect/Adm_tr/Tr_Prof06_US2.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.admissions.ucla.edu/prospect/Adm_tr/Tr_Prof06_US2.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>They also didnt accept applicants from Cornell, and only accepted half of those who tried to transfer from columbia:
<a href="http://www.admissions.ucla.edu/prospect/Adm_tr/Tr_Prof06_US3.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.admissions.ucla.edu/prospect/Adm_tr/Tr_Prof06_US3.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>So the name of the school that you transfer from doesnt matter. Williams wont help her come back to Cal if she doesnt like it. UCLA and Cal dont like out of staters.</p>

7

<p>maryjane, do you think you could have chosen two colleges with more wildly different environments? :)</p>

<p>Having said that, I believe that there's a reasonable amount of overlap in the student personality type at Williams and UCLA. My son is a senior at Williams and two of my nephews are UCLA grads. I see a lot of similarity in the general type -- extroverted, active, friendly, accomplished, focused.</p>

<p>Academically UCLA has a wider range than Williams, but those seeking a rigorous challenge will find it. The teaching style at a small LAC is also radically different from a large research university. Again, it's an individual choice. There are those who excel (or fail) at both. Plenty of MBA and business success stories coming out of both schools.</p>

<p>The key question -- which several others have asked -- is Have you visited Williams? If yes, then read on. If no, then visit immediately. Do not pass go or even think about making a decision until you set foot in Williamstown!</p>

<p>If you have visited, then you know that Williamstown is a pristine mountain village surrounded by profoundly beautiful scenery. There's a lot going on on campus, but it is far, far from the urban buzz of shopping, clubs, restaurants, people watching.</p>

8

<p>Thank you for all the input!</p>

<p>I'm visiting for Preview Days on Monday and Tuesday. I'm hoping to make my final decision after. I feel so torn between the two because they're so vastly different. :-/</p>

9

<p>Hello MaryJane. Congratulations! You have received great information and advice from the other respondents; I'm impressed. Interestingly, my son was making the same choice as you last year; a rare set of choices, indeed...he's from LA...and is currently loving it at Williams. I might add that he is the biggest UCLA sports fan that ever lived (still is). This is a difficult but apples and oranges decision. He chose Williams to experience something completely different from California; and he loves California and has always loved UCLA. I'm confident he'll eventually be back. It's just part of his own personal development as it will be for you. He's loved all his professors and classes; most classes are extremely small; winter term is great. Friends are wonderful and quite eclectic. He's in Williams Hall; entry system is terrific. Weather is awful during the winter...and this spring as it looks like you will experience on Monday. But you know that going in. Good luck to you. Enjoy your visit and Go Ephs! Go Bruins, too!</p>

10

<p>Dok - does your son ever find Williamstown boring? and how does he like the weather? the surrounding area + the weather are the two factors making me the most hesitant about going there.. i think i love LA and southern california in general a little too much haha.</p>

11

<p>Bottom line is, he loves Williams and the entire community there...and they bring an enormous amount to campus. I think you know that Williamstown is a small and beautiful New England town. It is also a real arts hotbed; amazing, in fact. Frankly, he's handled the winter quite well; you get used to it. He has friends from Hawaii there who love it and deal with the winter quite admirably. That's really not why he went to Williams, though in a way, he finds it good to experience different weather patterns, as well. He loves LA and Southern California, too.</p>

<p>Enjoy your time in Williamstown and good luck with your decision.</p>

12

<p>And let us know what you decide.</p>

13

<p>Feel is going to matter quite a bit with this. Both are obviously excellent schools, but they are so different that it's almost hard to start with advice.</p>

<p>I think that you really ought to visit both. I loved UCLA, and I am definitely an urbanite, so I'd put myself firmly in the UCLA camp, but it's definitely not for everyone.</p>

14

<p>hi everybody. i just came back from visiting williams, and i was thoroughly impressed with the student body, campus, academics, faculty, etc. i loved the school a lot.</p>

<p>on the plane ride back home, i spent the entire six hours deciding between williams and ucla. it was really the toughest decision i had to make. up until i was an hour away from los angeles, i was still deciding between the two.</p>

<p>however, i ended up choosing ucla for several reasons. no single one made me change my mind; all added up to the overall outcome (i'm just putting these up in case anyone is curious why i made this decision):</p>

<ul>
<li>economically, ucla is much more reasonable for my family. i did receive some fin aid from williams, but it was not enough to the point where it was "affordable." paying four years at ucla essentially equals what i would pay for a year at williams.</li>
<li>i was thinking about specific business paths i wanted to follow, and going into entertainment business has always been a dream of mine. where else is that better to pursue than in LA?</li>
<li>inevitably, a larger university in an urban setting will offer more diversity. i know williams stresses diversity, but i just could not see the same "melting pot" i experienced at ucla. as a minority, diversity is extremely important to me. not all but many williams students were from the east coast prep schools. when i attended preview days, there were already cliques formed, and it was personally difficult for me to get to know these people</li>
<li>i tried to imagine myself in the rural setting for four years, and i could not. i thought long and hard about it, and i really am a city girl. it's definitely a personal choice - williams is undoubtedly beautiful, but not for me</li>
</ul>

<p>ucla will offer me the weather, the surroundings, and the opportunities i am looking for. williams may offer me a higher quality education (in terms of professor-student relations, smaller class sizes, etc.), but i am confident that as long as i am proactive and focused, ucla will give me a wonderful undergraduate experience, both academically and socially, as well as great post-undergrad opportunities.</p>

<p>thank you to everybody for their comments. it helped me a lot in making this difficult decision.</p>

15

<p>maryjane89,</p>

<p>Welcome to the Bruin family! :)</p>

16

<p>Congrats on the decision MaryJane!!!</p>

17

<p>It's good that you were able to visit so that you could make a definite decision. The money factor is a significant consideration to take into account among all the others. Enjoy your time at UCLA. (The Williams president's wife is a screen/scriptwriter, and is able to work from Williamstown on the TV shows/movies she's involved with.)</p>

18

<p>maryjane:</p>

<p>I'm glad that you were able to think things through and make the best decision for you. Your story highlights how crazy the "which college should I go to" threads here on College Confidential are. Simple truth of the matter is that a good decision is always based on individual preferences and priorities. Money. Location. Weather. Size. Diversity. And, and million other possibilities -- none of which anyone can answer for someone else. You could have been sitting next to someone on the plane home who made the exact opposite decision and you both could have been 100% right.</p>

<p>Gather information. Visit. Think it through. Ask your gut. Make a decision, knowing that its a win-win when talking about two good schools like Williams and UCLA.</p>

19

<p>MaryJane, You came, you saw, you decided what was best for YOU. That's exactly the way the process is supposed to work! Congratulations, you're a Bruin. :)</p>

20

<p>Thanks everybody. :-)</p>

<p>So.. how do I let Williams know that I am declining their offer of admission? Is there a withdraw card?</p>